


please, dance with me

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Soft Malec, honestly the show is too angsty right now they need some fluff, i never know what to write with these tags, just magnus and alec are pure okay, malec dancing, rain kisses are the softest, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 03:17:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After a rough day, Alec comes home to find his boyfriend dancing alone on the balcony.





	please, dance with me

**Author's Note:**

> i sort of really miss having soft malec moments, and everything on the show right now is super angsty cos we're coming close to the finale. i just think we deserve some malec dancing in our lives, especially after magnus having a dancing past was made canon in 2x14. enjoy and please leave kudos and or a comment if you'd like !!!

Being the Head of the Institute had not really been working out for Alec recently. He knew that the job itself had a lot of bad luck behind it already, but taking it on had been something he'd dreamed of since he was a little boy. It was something he'd craved ever since he could remember, and something he particularly wanted even more so after the Lightwoods lost their power.

Really though, it was proving to be a lot more work than Alec had first anticipated. It's not that he didn't know it was going to be tough, running an Institute during the time of Valentine would never be easy after all, but it seemed like everything that could go wrong  _was_ going wrong.

He really didn't like to think that the reason some of the shadowhunters didn't listen to him or respect him had anything to do with his sexuality, but at the same time Alec wasn't stupid and knew it did play a part in there somewhere. It was also the fact that the man he did choose to be in a relationship with was a downworlder; and the majority of the shadowhunters at the Institute were all too happy to expose their transparency when it came to their feelings on downworlders as soon as they came to the realisation that the new Head had an intimate relationship with one.

For the few weeks that he had officially taken the job from Jace, Alec had struggled a lot more than he'd ever like to admit. He knew he could be a good leader if given the chance, but sooner or later the constant reassurance from his siblings would lose any meaning, and the heavy weight of defeat would be overbearing.

By the time Alec reached the loft, he had let his head be completely overtaken by thoughts of losing the Institute, of not being a good enough leader to guide the New York shadowhunters through times of war, and of everything he was possibly going to lose for reasons that were unavoidable. It's not as if he hadn't made his own mistakes, he _knew_ he had made plenty, but really, how many times would he have to tell Jace that going on unsanctioned missions with Clary whenever he liked wasn't helpful. It wasn't going to just make the Clave think badly of the two of them, but also of Alec, who should have had them under control by now.

Alec unlocked the door with the key Magnus had given him a few weeks back, and let himself in, throwing his jacket and stele down onto the counter by the doorframe. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts, ready to make his way over to the bedroom for a restless night of tossing and turning, that he didn't notice the lights in the loft were still turned on. He'd assumed Magnus would have gone to sleep by now as it was already quite late, but when he finally let himself take in his surroundings, he noticed the faint sound of classical music echoing around the loft. It was only then that he looked up and saw Magnus on his own on the balcony, facing the city and swaying softly along to the music.

He seemed transfixed, his motions flowing accurately to the rhythm of the song, with the night sky surrounding him like a thick blanket. The light emitting from the loft shone on his back like a makeshift spotlight, highlighting the sequins that covered his shoulders and the leather of his trousers. Magnus was off in his own little world, most likely reminiscing the times he would go dancing in towns Alec had never been to or heard of, and Alec couldn't help but find himself staring. Magnus was distracting enough on his own, dancing made it almost impossible not to focus all of his attention on him.

Magnus, however, sensed that he had gained an audience and spun around expertly, a sheepish grin forming on his face after having being caught. He didn't stop moving along to the music, but his focus was definitely gone as he watched Alec watch him.

"Do you want to join me?" Magnus finally asked, extending an arm out in invitation.

"Oh, no," Alec coughed, trying to clear his throat. "I have no rhythm whatsoever." 

Magnus frowned, and let his hand drop. "Okay, but it's really no fun dancing on your own."

Alec could hear the suggestion in Magnus's tone, and rolled his eyes. It really was becoming far too difficult to say no to Magnus.

" _Fine_ ," Alec groaned, but there was no real heat in his voice. "but don't say I didn't warn you."

Magnus just chuckled softly as he extended his hand out again, which Alec accepted this time but with a little unease. Magnus could probably see the tension in Alec's shoulders, and now that they were so close he could definitely feel how rigid his body was. He tried his best to loosen Alec up, forcing him to shrug his shoulders a few times and swing his arms a little to stretch the muscles. Alec went along, even though they both knew he was fairly flexible already, and when Magnus was happy enough, he finally took one of Alec's hands to rest on his waist whilst holding the other up.

Being a shadowhunter, Magnus figured his boyfriend surely knew a little bit about coordination, and decided on trying to teach him how to waltz. It became apparent quite quickly that Alec  _didn't_ know anything about coordination, and struggled to multitask with more than one limb at a time. They were a thumbling mess for a while, Alec tripping over and stepping on Magnus's feet and groaning in embarrassment every single time, but Magnus was finding the enjoyment in it. He looked up at Alec's face as they took another step, and he could see the worried expression he conveyed. It was clear he was scared that Magnus wasn't having any fun, or that he thought dancing with Alec was a mistake, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

Magnus removed his right hand from where it had been resting on Alec's back, and brought it to the shadowhunters chin, dipping his head down so that he could stare into his hazel eyes. It was then that he smiled lovingly at him, a little way of showing that he was having a good time, and it must have taken Alec by surprise because he ended up tripping over Magnus's foot for what must have been the sixth time now.

"You weren't exaggerating when you said you weren't good at this," Magnus chuckled softly, grinning up at Alec.

Alec smiled sheepishly and removed his hand from Magnus's waist as he began to pull away. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"What? There is never any disappointment when it comes to you, Alexander." 

 And Alec _knew_ he was talking about his dancing skills, or lack thereof, but it was the way he said it. It was always the way Magnus said things that made him feel like he was good enough, like he was something to be admired and respected, and above all loved. Maybe Magnus was talking about Alec's two left feet, but there was something about being told he wasn't a disappointment that resonated with him. Maybe he was good enough after all to run the Institute. It may just take a little more time and a lot of hard work to find his feet. The same could be said about improving his dancing skills.

"How about we try the  _real_ basics?" Magnus suggested, offering out his hands again.

Alec's mood had suddenly lifted and he found himself returning to Magnus's side and offering him his hands. This time, Magnus placed both of Alec's arms around his waist where they joined together at the small of Magnus's back. This new position was much closer, much more intimate, and Alec found that he preferred it a lot more to what they had just been doing. Magnus brought his own arms around Alec's shoulders to clasp together behind his neck.

"What now?" They were so close, that it seemed only fitting to whisper his question to Magnus.

"Just stop thinking so much, and sway a little to the music." Magnus replied, a gentle smile covering his face as he closed his eyes and rested his head against Alec's torso.

What they were doing wasn't really  _dancing_ but it felt amazing to be this close together, surrounded by one another's body heat as they stepped slowly from side to side. Alec's heart almost skipped a beat when he felt the vibration of Magnus sighing happily, and he thought he might just pass out from how good this felt, to be so relaxed around each other without anything to worry about.

Of course, when it came to the two of them, nothing good that they shared ever came without interruption. Almost as if it were planned, the heavens suddenly opened up and due to where they stood together on the balcony, within seconds they were both soaked from head to toe in record time.

Instead of retreating quickly inside, they stayed where they were, wrapped in each other's arms as the rain fell, and Magnus couldn't stop himself from giggling, finally removing his face from Alec's chest and staring up at the skies.

Magnus may have been focusing on the clouds forming above them, but Alec found himself studying his boyfriends face. He looked so beautiful and ethereal with the rainwater covering his hair and skin, and Alec watched the path of one single drop as it fell onto his forehead and run the course of Magnus's entire face before settling just above his lip. He didn't know why, but Alec really wanted to kiss the raindrop away.

Having felt eyes on him, Magnus brought his own gaze back to Alec and blushed a little when he realised he had been staring at him. Without hesitation, Alec brought his lips to Magnus's own, kissing him softly. There was no heat or rush behind it, just an unspoken declaration of love and promises and almost frightening new emotions.

When Alec finally pulled away, Magnus struggled to find his voice but eventually settled on a whisper. "So, you're not that great at dancing, but rain kisses are just as equally romantic and cliché."

Alec rolled his eyes playfully before kissing Magnus again, and this time picking him up and spinning him around. He was sure he'd seen something like this in one of Simon's mundane films, and was pretty certain Magnus would enjoy the gesture. They eventually had to stop spinning because they were laughing too hard, but it was worth it to see the joy on Magnus's face as they both struggled to find their breath.

"I love you," Alec whispered breathlessly. If he was going to try and be as romantic as possible in order to make up for his lousy dancing, he may as well go all the way.

Magnus brought a hand up to the damp skin of Alec's neck and grinned up at him, rain still belting down against them. "I love you too. Now let's get inside before one of us catches a cold."

**Author's Note:**

> i had to add a rain kiss in there somewhere. i hope you enjoyed this as much as i liked writing it. please feel free to leave kudos and a comment if you'd like :) thank you.


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